The Game of Life is not your typical computer game. It is a 'cellular automaton',
and was invented by Cambridge mathematician John Conway in 1970.
The "game" is a zero-player game, meaning that its evolution is determined by its
initial state, requiring no further input. One interacts with the Game of Life by
creating an initial configuration and observing how it evolves.
This game became widely known when it was mentioned in an article published by
Scientific American in 1970. It consists of a collection of cells which, based on
a few mathematical rules, can live, die or multiply. Depending on the initial
conditions, the cells form various patterns throughout the course of the game.
Each gray square is a cell that can either be alive or not alive. Green indicates the cell is alive. Each cell is surrounded by eight neighbor cells that will affect whether it lives or dies in the next generation.
Create an initial starting pattern of living cells by clicking on some number of cells. Then click a Go button to begin the game. Cells will remain alive, die, or become alive according to the following rules.
A living cell with 1 or 0 living neighbors, will die (as though of loneliness).
A living cell with 4 or more living neighbors, will die (as if by overpopulation).
A living cell with 2 or 3 living neighbors will survive.
an empty cell with 3 living neighbors will become alive.
